10 Hoi An Cooking Classes to Learn Local Recipes

Few places in Vietnam invite you into the kitchen as warmly as Hoi An. Beyond lantern-lit streets and riverside cafés, the town immerses itself in scent and flavor. It begins in the morning market, brushing fresh herbs between your fingers, and listening to stories shared over a simmering pot. Learn from local cooks and bring home recipes that carry the flavour of Hoi An with these 10 cooking classes in Hoi An.

1. Red Bridge Cooking School

• Address: Hamlet 4, Cam Thanh Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily, 8 AM–5 PM
• Price: Around $30, depending on the class
• 时长：2小时
• Highlights: Designed for food enthusiasts wanting an in-depth understanding of Vietnamese cuisine. Hands-on cooking from start to finish of 4 famous Vietnamese dishes, including ‘Beef Noodle Soup (Pho)’ & Clay Pot Fish with Dill (Cha Ca).

There is something quietly exciting about stepping into the open-air kitchen at Red Bridge Cooking School. The experience often begins with a local market tour in Hoi An, where vibrant stalls overflow with fresh herbs and spices, rice noodles, and fish just freshly caught from the river. Your instructor explains how Vietnamese ingredients work together, how balance is built from sweet, sour, salty, and fragrant elements, stemming from the Eastern philosophy of balance and harmony.

Back at the school, you can prepare four delicious dishes from scratch, including Beef Noodle Soup and clay pot fish with dill. This hands-on cooking class in Hoi An invites you to chop, simmer, and season under detailed guidance. By the time you sit down to taste your creations, you feel more than satisfied. You feel connected to the rhythm of Vietnamese kitchens and confident that you can recreate these flavors at home.

2. Namia River Retreat’s Banh Mi Cooking Class

• Address: 232 Tran Nhan Tong Street, Hoi An Dong Ward, Da Nang City, Viet Nam
• Opening hours: Available daily upon request, with flexible timing to suit guests’ schedules
• Price: From $42 per person
• Duration: Based on the class
• Highlights: Recreating Vietnam’s iconic sandwich with Namia River Retreat and our local partner, Bánh Mì Phi, from baking fresh baguettes to crafting silky pâté. Includes a visit to a neighborhood bakery.

At Namia River Retreat, a Hoi An cooking class unfolds as part of a wider cultural story. Set along the peaceful Thu Bon River, the retreat draws inspiration from craft villages and river life, weaving local heritage into every experience. Their banh mi session, created with local partner Bánh Mì Phi, invites guests to look beyond the sandwich and into the hands that shape it.

The journey may begin by visiting a local market, then a local bakery where baguettes are freshly baked each morning. Back in the kitchen, you learn how to cook each topping for a traditional Bánh mì, then spread pâté evenly on one baguette’s side, balance pickles with aromatic fresh herbs, and assemble layer by layer. This cooking class in Hoi An feels intimate and personal, guided by chefs who share stories alongside the cooking lecture, making the journey more amusing. When you take your first bite, the crisp crust and fragrant filling carry not only flavor, but a sense of having learned something truly local.

3. Vy’s Market

• Address: 3 Nguyen Hoang Street, Minh An Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily, 11 AM–10 PM
• Price: Around $30, depending on the class
• 时长：2小时
• Highlights: Offering 3 teaching areas with modern equipment and providing the most immersive cooking experience in Vietnam. With 4 programmes to choose from, tailored to different levels of skill.

Right in the heart of the old town, Vy’s Market offers a well-structured Hoi An cooking experience. The space feels welcoming, with several dedicated teaching areas that allow guests to observe, practice, and taste at their own pace. It is ideal for travelers who appreciate clear guidance while still enjoying the spontaneity of Vietnamese cuisine.

With Vy’s Market cooking class, you can learn from local chefs and the lesson becomes a dynamic exchange. You are introduced to Vietnamese ingredients that shape everyday meals, from rice paper to aromatic broths. Whether you are a beginner or a confident home cook, this cooking class in Hoi An helps you understand how traditional dishes come together step by step. As you sit down to enjoy what you have prepared, it feels like a fragment of Hoi An cuisine lies on your dish, a combination of dynamic ingredients that blend harmoniously.

4. Baby Mustard

• Address: Bien Street, Cam Ha Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily, 11 AM–9 PM
• Price: $4–$8 per person
• Duration: Depending on the class 
• Highlights: Traditional Vietnamese cooking class hosted by a local family in the organic vegetable village; rustic farm-style experience near Trà Quế village.

At Baby Mustard, a Hoi An cooking class feels like an on-the-spot lesson incorporating a visit to a countryside home. Located near Tra Que vegetable village, the setting is quiet and green, where the scent of lemongrass and fresh coriander drifts through the air.

Before stepping into the kitchen, you may walk through the organic garden to see where the herbs are grown. This connection between soil and plate shapes the entire experience. Guided by a local family, you prepare simple dishes that highlight fresh herbs and spices and everyday Vietnamese ingredients. It is an intimate way to learn Vietnamese cooking in Hoi An, one that leaves you with not only new recipes, but a deeper appreciation for how closely food and land are intertwined.

5. Hoi An Tropical Cooking Tour at HaLa’s Cookery Restaurant

• Address: Tong Van Suong Street, Thanh Dong Hamlet, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily 7 AM–8 PM
• Price: Around $30, depending on the class
• Duration: 1-2 hours
• Highlights: Local market visit + bamboo basket boat + crab fishing + hands-on cooking (set tour itinerary)

HaLa’s Cookery Restaurant begins long before you step into the kitchen, replicating an ordinary day at Hoi An. The morning often starts at a bustling market, where your guide introduces you to Vietnamese ingredients that define daily meals in central Vietnam, from fresh seafood just caught from the sea to aromatic herbs that have been carefully selected from the market. You learn how to read freshness in a handful of herbs, how to choose seafood straight from the vendor’s basin, and why balance matters in every dish.

The journey then drifts into the coconut forest by bamboo basket boat, where you may try your hand at simple crab fishing. Only after these small adventures do you gather around the stove. Cooking feels more connected because you have followed the path of each ingredient from market to water to plate. This immersive Hoi An cooking experience blends culture, nature, and flavor into one seamless story, leaving you with both new skills and a deeper connection to the local culinary heritage.

6. Mai Home Hoi An Cooking Class & Restaurant

• Address: W82R+98C, Tra Que Village, Cam Ha Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily 9 AM–5 PM
• Price: Around $30, depending on the class
• Duration: 1-2 hours
• Highlights: 3 class formats (incl. basket boat option); “package 6 hours” includes hotel transfer in Hoi An

At Mai Home Hoi An, a Hoi An cooking class feels like an art form. Set near the lush fields of Tra Que, the experience adapts to different travel styles. Some guests choose a shorter kitchen-focused session, while others opt for a longer journey that includes a basket boat ride and countryside exploration.

The class centers on traditional Vietnamese cooking, guided step by step in a relaxed garden setting. You learn how to prepare local specialties using fresh herbs and spices grown nearby, gaining insight into home style Vietnamese cooking. The six hour package, which includes hotel transfer within Hoi An, makes the day feel seamless. By the time you sit down to share the meal you have created, there is a satisfaction in knowing you have experienced a daily life through rustic dishes, even if just for a few hours.

7. Claypot Hoi An

• Address: 217 Ly Thai To Street, Cam Son Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily 1–10 PM (closed on Sunday)
• Price: $4–$8 per person
• Duration: Depending on the class
• Highlights: Vietnamese cuisine; commonly mentioned dishes include BBQ pork, spring rolls, fried chicken; “homey atmosphere” noted in listing summary

At Claypot Hoi An, it feels comfortingly familiar from the start. The space is often described as homey, and that sense of warmth shapes the entire experience. Rather than a polished performance, the class leans into the charm of rustic everyday cooking, where simple dishes are prepared within a claypot – one of the must-have appliances you can spot in every kitchen that influences braising technique.

In the attempt to preserve the rustic yet charming culinary skill, this cooking class has designed their classes surrounding this clay tool. The menu often includes popular crowd-pleasing Vietnamese favorites such as BBQ pork, spring rolls, and fried chicken, ones that are safe to briefly experience Vietnamese cuisine. As you cook, the focus stays on approachable methods and balanced seasoning, making this a welcoming choice for travelers who want to learn Vietnamese cooking in Hoi An without feeling intimidated. 

There is something especially satisfying about recreating dishes that feel both festive and deeply domestic, especially how pungent ingredients like ginger could pair so well with chicken, braised in salty caramelized broth. By the end, the meal tastes like something more than a lesson. It feels like a glimpse into the comfort of home style Vietnamese cooking.

8. Rau Ơi Eatery Vegan Food and Cooking Classes

• Address: 110 Tran Nhan Tong Street, Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily 12–9:30 PM
• Price: $4–$8 per person
• 时长：2小时
• Highlights: Offering traditional Vietnamese dishes made with fresh, healthy ingredients. The menu is diverse and extensive, catering to all tastes. 

Rau Ơi Eatery offers a refreshing take on a Hoi An cooking class. Here, plant based cuisine is not an option, but a celebration of abundant vegetables and plant-based ingredients like tofu, mushrooms, and fragrant herbs are the foundation of vegetarian dishes following the prosperous culinary aspect. The kitchen feels bright, inviting you to explore how Vietnamese flavors shine through simple, wholesome ingredients.

During this cooking class in Hoi An, you learn to balance sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements with the natural, raw flavor from the vegetables, using fresh herbs and spices sourced locally. The instructors share thoughtful tips on preparing vegan versions of classic dishes while preserving authentic taste. It is a peaceful and inspiring experience, one that leaves you feeling nourished and balanced with the meal you create.

9. Sua Vegan Restaurant Hoi An

• Address: Le Hong Phong Noi Dai Street, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily 11 AM–9:30 PM
• Price: $8-$22 per person
• Duration: Depending on the class
• Highlights: Proud of their vegan cooking class as it fuses Vietnamese cuisine with European one

Sua Vegan Restaurant may appear as a Hoi An cooking class, its vision in helping the unfortunate people makes it stand out in the hospitality context. The class always learns and improves their service every day, creating an experience that feels inventive. It is a good fit for travelers who enjoy familiar ingredients meeting new techniques.

In the kitchen, traditional Vietnamese herbs, sauces, and vegetables are combined in an unforeseeable way. The result is a cooking class in Hoi An where each dish reflects both place and personal interpretation. Even for those already familiar with vegan cuisine, the experience still offers a fresh perspective, building a different layer of vegetarian cooking reflecting the long period of practicing mindfulness in Vietnam. You leave with recipes, certainly, but also with the lingering feeling that you have been an inseparable part of a greater future. 

10. Chickpea Eatery: Vietnamese Vegan Restaurant & Hội An Vegan Cooking Class 

• Address: 86 Phan Chu Trinh Street, Minh An Ward, Hoi An
• Opening hours: Daily 12–9 PM
• Price: $4–$8 per person
• Duration: Depending on the class
• Highlights: Proud to be the very first vegan Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An. Their vegan burger was listed on PETA Asia’s top 10 best burgers in Vietnam.

At Chickpea Eatery, a Hoi An cooking class carries a wild dream of a young entrepreneur, who breathes fresh air into typical cooking classes while staying connected to Vietnamese flavors. Known for being the first vegan Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An, it offers an experience that feels fresh. The setting in the old town adds to the sense of discovery, as though you have stepped off a busy street and into the rustic kitchen of a commoner from decades ago.

The class introduces plant-based versions of Vietnamese favorites through hands-on guidance and thoughtfully chosen local ingredients, especially their vegan burger, which has been listed as one of the top 10 best vegan burgers in Vietnam by PETA. You learn how texture, seasoning, and freshness come together in dishes that feel generous and full of character. By the time you finish, this Hoi An cooking experience leaves you with a new understanding of how adaptable and expressive Vietnamese cuisine can be.

Enjoy a Peaceful Trip in Namia River Retreat

After the colours of the market, the fragrance of fresh herbs, and the quiet concentration of the kitchen, Hoi An begins to reveal another gift: stillness. That is where Namia River Retreat feels like a natural closing note to the journey. Set along the Thu Bon River, the retreat offers a softer rhythm, where mornings unfold slowly and the landscape invites you to slow your steps and mindfully enjoy a little longer.

Its 60 private pool villas look out to nipa palms or calming river views, creating a sense of privacy that promotes a deep rest after a long journey and blends in with local lives. Beyond rest, Namia also opens the door to deeper discovery through daily activities and easy access to nearby craft villages such as Cam Thanh Coconut Village and Thanh Ha Pottery Village. 

For those seeking a stay that pairs well with a meaningful and cooking class experience in Hoi An, Namia brings together culture, comfort, and quiet. Discover more about Namia River Retreat, explore its approach to wellbeing, browse local experiences, or see what awaits through its dining.

Location: 232 Tran Nhan Tong Street, Hoi An Dong Ward, Hoi An, Việt Nam
Phone: +84 (0) 235 3969 888
Email:  hello@namiariverretreat.com